The most fertile soil for collectivism is isolation. During his inaugural address, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.” Many people have skewered the second part of that statement—and rightfully so. For those who’ve endured it, the warmth of collectivism feels like hell on earth. In the last century, communist regimes slaughtered more than 150 million people. Hundreds of millions more have suffered through scarcity and oppression. Collectivist regimes struggle to keep the lights on and produce enough toilet paper. So much for warmth. But the first part of Mamdani’s statement deserves scrutiny as well. Merriam-Webster defines rugged individualism as “emphasizing personal liberty and independence, self-reliance, resourcefulness, self-direction of the individual, and free competition in enterprise.” Even if they wouldn’t use the term, this encapsulates the general beliefs of most Republicans and conservatives. Mamdani implied that those of us who believe in these things suffer from a lack of human attachment. He implied we freeze others out, ignoring their needs. Presumably, he thinks this is done to pad our bank accounts. As a supporter of rugged individualism, Mamdani’s caricature is utterly foreign to me. I’m a husband and father of seven children. Life is full of bustle, not seclusion. There are music lessons, sports, speech classes, and church. My wife and I essentially run an unlicensed restaurant, laundromat, and taxi service. There are a lot of wonderful things about having a big family, but it’s not exactly a financial bonanza. While the number of children I have is an outlier, my experience isn’t. Republicans aged 25-64 are 15 percentage points more likely to be married than their Democratic peers. Republicans are 11 percentage points more likely than Democrats to be in a “very happy” marriage. In 2024, Gallup found a significant partisan marriage gap remained even after adjusting for demographic factors. Conservatives who are childless and under 50 are more than three times as likely as liberals to say they definitely want children. Unsurprisingly, red states have significantly more babies than blue states. The popular perception is that growing older makes people more conservative. That may be true, but strong evidence suggests that getting married and having children play a major role. It’s the collectivists in the Democrat Party who desperately need people to remain as individuals. A 2024 Pew report found that 72% of never-married women lean Democrat. But among married women, it’s just 45%. Half of married women lean Republican. A significant increase in marriage rates would be an existential threat to the modern Democrat Party. Perhaps you can see the paradox. Adherents to rugged individualism are more likely to form familial units and have children. Here’s why. Conservatives use personal liberty—not to isolate—but to create and join communities. The most fundamental is marriage, which has major benefits. As Brad Wilcox notes in his book “Get Married,” married couples are happier and better off financially than singles. Strong marriages are good for society, too, because children do best when raised by their married parents. There’s a long tradition of Americans freely joining together for other purposes, too. Alexis de Tocqueville remarked on our country’s many associations in his classic 1835 book “Democracy in America.” “Americans of all ages, all conditions, all minds constantly unite,” he wrote. “Not only do they have commercial and industrial associations in which all take part, but they also have a thousand other kinds: religious, moral, grave, futile, very general and very particular, immense and very small.” Don’t buy into Mamdani’s false dichotomy between individualism and collectivism. The voluntary associations formed by free individuals are far preferable to the coercion of communists. COPYRIGHT 2026 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post ‘Rugged Individualism’ Leads to Community appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, appeared on CNN‘s “State of the Union” and questioned the Trump administration’s immigration policies, saying the president is “getting bad advice.” Stitt told Dana Bash he thinks there’s “broad agreement” that President Trump should “close the border” and get “violent criminals” out of the country. “Americans are asking themselves, ‘What is the endgame? What is the solution?’ And we believe in federalism and state rights. And nobody likes feds coming into their state,” the Republican governor said. “And so, what’s the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non-U.S. citizen? I don’t think that’s what Americans want. We have to stop politicizing this. We need real solutions on immigration reform,” he continued. “I believe that I’ve got a great solution that we should give the states the authority to do workforce permits,” he added. Bash asked Stitt if he thinks federal immigration agents should “pull out of Minnesota.” “I think that the president has to answer that question. He is a dealmaker, and he’s getting bad advice right now,” he answered. Footage below: Oklahoma GOP Governor Kevin Stitt criticizes ICE: “What is the endgame? What’s the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non-US citizen? I don’t think that’s what Americans want.” pic.twitter.com/O65NMlqLDb — TheBlaze (@theblaze) January 25, 2026 The Hill has more: Saturday’s shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent came less than three weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good, also a U.S. citizen. The incidents sparked widespread demonstrations against the administration’s deployment of CBP and ICE personnel to Democratic-run cities nationwide, along with calls from Democratic lawmakers to rein in those agencies. While the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that more than 675,000 people have been deported and roughly 2.2 million people have left the country voluntarily since President Trump returned to office, Stitt wants “real solutions” on reforming the immigration system. One idea he referenced is allowing states to issue workforce permits, an authority that lies solely with the federal government. Stitt, the chair of the National Governors Association (NGA), also proposed charging employers $5,000 if they hire noncitizens, a sum that can help “pay down the national debt and to incentivize them to hire Americans.” “If you’re going to have an employer-employee relationship, we should be fixing that, instead of politicizing this,” the Oklahoma Republican said. “And right now, tempers are just going crazy, and we need to calm this down.” “Just remember that @KevinStitt was trying to allow illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses and create pathways for them to obtain work permits in his state, and only stopped after facing huge backlash against the proposal,” the Project for Immigration Reform said in response to Stitt’s comments. Just remember that @KevinStitt was trying to allow illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses and create pathways for them to obtain work permits in his state, and only stopped after facing huge backlash against the proposal. https://t.co/PoCSoOyAE5 pic.twitter.com/0PLZmHlxSe — Project for Immigration Reform (@PFIRorg) January 25, 2026 Other Republicans voiced concerns and criticisms after the Minnesota shooting over the weekend. BREAKING: Armed Man Sh*t & K*lled By CBP Agent in Minneapolis The Associated Press explained: Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said the shooting was “not acceptable.” “At best, these federal immigration operations are a complete failure of coordination of acceptable public safety and law enforcement practices, training and leadership,” he said in a post. “At worst, it’s deliberate federal intimidation and incitement of American citizens.” Echoing criticism that local law enforcement isn’t cooperating with federal officials, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., suggested the administration focus its immigration efforts elsewhere. “If I were President Trump, I would almost think about if the mayor and the governor are going to put our ICE officials in harm’s way and there’s a chance of losing more innocent lives or whatever, then maybe go to another city and let the people of Minneapolis decide do we want to continue to have all these illegals?” he told “Sunday Morning Futures” on the Fox News Channel. “I think the people of Minnesota would rebel against their leadership.”

Governor Walz is again suggesting that ICE and Border Patrol are the Gestapo. He is comparing criminal aliens to Anne Frank. Everything he does is to incite the radicals, and possibly cover up the fraud he allowed to take place or orchestrated. He doesn’t believe what he’s saying here. Walz may not be a genius, […] The post Despicable Walz Is Suggesting ICE Is the Gestapo Again appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

The Customs and Border Protection shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis could cause Washington to shut the government down for the second time in three months. Senate Democrats signaled over the weekend that they would not vote for a bill that would fund the federal government through the end of the fiscal year, which contains funding for the Department of Homeland Security. CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement — whose agents were involved in the shooting of Renee Good — both fall under the DHS umbrella. “After their son was killed in broad daylight, they are now forced to defend him against this administration’s lies,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on X. “It’s another reason why Senate Democrats are united in rejecting this DHS spending bill.” The House of Representatives already voted on spending bills before adjourning ahead of a major snowstorm descending on the capital. The House is not likely to return in time to avert a partial shutdown should the Senate somehow reach a deal, Punchbowl News reported. “The Trump Administration and [Homeland Security Secretary] Kristi Noem are putting undertrained, combative federal agents on the streets with no accountability,” Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) said in a statement on Saturday. “They are oppressing Americans and are at odds with local law enforcement,” she added. “This is clearly not about keeping Americans safe, it’s brutalizing U.S. citizens and law-abiding immigrants.” It’s unclear exactly how a shutdown would impact CBP and ICE. Much of the president’s immigration agenda was funded through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, funding that would not be interrupted by a shutdown. Last year, the United States faced the largest federal government shutdown in history for 43 days over a debate regarding Affordable Care Act subsidies. Aside from the looming shutdown, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) is requesting testimony from CBP, ICE, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services over “border security and immigration enforcement” in hearings either in February or March, according to letters sent by the congressman on Saturday. In Minnesota, Homeland Security’s Operation Metro Surge has led to thousands of arrests of people in the country illegally, but it’s also led to serious clashes with anti-ICE protests in the region — and staunch opposition from Democrats in the state. “They think they can provoke us into abandoning our values. They are wrong. We will keep the peace. We will secure justice for our neighbors. And we will see this occupation end,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) posted to X on Saturday night. The Trump administration has stated that Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey need to tone down the rhetoric in the state. “The Minnesota governor and the Minneapolis mayor need to take a long, hard look in the mirror,” Noem said at a Saturday press conference. “They need to evaluate their rhetoric, their conversations, and their encouragement of such violence against our citizens and our law enforcement officers.”

President Donald Trump on Sunday joined a memorial service for the late “Dilbert” cartoonist Scott Adams, who died earlier in the month from metastatic prostate cancer. “The world lost a great one this month when we lost Scott Adams,” Trump said during the live-streamed celebration of life. “There was nobody like him. But Heaven gained a good heart, a brilliant mind and a very brave soul.” WATCH: ?Trump honors Scott Adams at Celebration of Life??? “The world lost a great one this month when we lost Scott Adams. There was nobody like him. But Heaven gained a good heart, a brilliant mind and a very brave soul.” “Scott was one of a kind, among the most interesting and… pic.twitter.com/4T3uuVUIka — Jason Cohen ?? (@JasonJournoDC) January 25, 2026 “Scott was one of a kind, among the most interesting and original people and thinkers of our time,” Trump continued, praising Adams for his steadfast support. “I will never forget that Scott was with me from the very beginning … And he was a loyal and true friend to all of us until the very end.” “Scott, we love you, we miss you and we will never ever forget you,” the president concluded. “Thank you for everything — and everything you’ve done for me. And God bless the United States of America, which loves you so much.” In addition to his work as a cartoonist and an author, Adams reached millions with his daily live-streamed “Coffee with Scott Adams” chats — which he continued, whenever possible, even up to his very last days. Adams left behind a message encouraging his followers to do as he had done and keep looking for ways to “be useful.” “I had an amazing life,” he said. “I gave it everything I had. If you got any benefits from my work, I’m asking you to pay it forward as best you can. That’s the legacy I want. Be useful. And please know I loved you all to the end.”

Just two days before Christmas, TikToker @romeosshow gave the world a gift. She posted an 11-second video featuring a little jingle she wrote for an insanely popular soft drink brand. In the video, Romeo simply sings, “Dr Pepper baby. It’s good and nice. Doo, Doo, Doo.” She then added text to the screen that reads, “had to act on this before someone got sent this in a dream and steal it from me, so I impulsively posted this.” In less than a month, the video has amassed 46 million views and caught the attention of Dr. Pepper itself. They liked it so much, the brand created a commercial just in time for the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship game on January 19. @romeosshow @Dr Pepper please get back to me with a proposition we can make thousands together. #drpepper #soda #beverage ♬ original sound – Romeo Romeo’s Dr. Pepper Jingle Played in the TV Spot The commercial, which aired during the game, took Romeo’s original idea and put a little more pep in its step. People went crazy on social media, sharing the video and tagging Romeo over and over. The video prompted her to create another TikTok that appears to show her at an awards banquet. We hear, “and the award for best national championship commercial about Dr Pepper goes to Romeo and Dr Pepper.” Romeo then gets up to thank her fans by holding a bottle of Dr. Pepper like a precious statue. She makes her “acceptance speech,” thanking “all of the Dr Pepper fans.” @romeosshow THANKYOU GUYYYSSS THAT WAS AWESOME I LOVE YOU #drpepper #commercial #nationalchampionship ♬ Applause – Clapping Sound Effect 4 – Hollywood Sound Effects Once again, the comment section loved it. “This speech gets a 23 hour standing ovation from us,” Dr. Pepper wrote. “all of TikTok knew that jingle was special the second you posted it,” TikTok commented. “I just seen a Dr. Pepper commercial on tv and with you jingle. I called my sister to the tv like omg they using her song. It even had the do do doot and the end. I was so proud for you in that moment,” a fan wrote. “Congratulations!” Romeo’s story just goes to prove that a crazy idea might not be so crazy after all. Why not share? Dr. Pepper is no doubt eternally grateful. This story’s featured image is by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images.

Democrat Group Caught Fundraising Off Alex Pretti Hours After His Death

'Credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake'

'emperor has no clothes situation'

Do you love bluebirds, finches, and chickadees? Why not count birds in your community with your kids and friends during the Great Backyard Bird Count in 2026. Our mental health is nurtured by nature—and it will take under an hour to give back to what birds give us. The annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) […] The post Help Our Feathered Friends: Volunteer For the Great Backyard Bird Count Worldwide appeared first on Good News Network.